Leading politician calls for Russia to ban McDonald's 'poisonous food' over Crimea row

Leading politician calls for Russia to ban McDonald's 'poisonous food' over Crimea row

A LEADING Russian politician has called for the closure of all McDonald's restaurants in the country, in a tit-for-tat move after the US fast food chain temporarily shut their branches in the disputed Crimea region.

Firebrand politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky has called for ALL McDonald's to be closed down in Russia[GETTY/EPA]

Firebrand politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who is widely viewed to have close links to President Vladimir Putin, called for McDonald's to halt serving "their poisonous food" in Russia.

Earlier today, McDonald's suspended work at its three outlets in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was recently annexed by Moscow to widespread international condemnation.

McDonald's said the move was due to unspecified manufacturing reasons "beyond the company's control".

The chain say they hope to resume work as soon as possible, but offered to help relocate staff to mainland Ukraine, signalling it did not expect its Crimean business to reopen in the near future.

In response, pro-Kremlin figure Mr Zhirinovsky called for McDonald's to shut all over Russia "so there is not a scent of them left", saying he was ready to lead a campaign to force the closure.

He added: "It's very good that McDonald's is closing its branches in Crimea. Let them close their branches over here too.

"As a form of sanctions, they have agreed not to poison Crimeans in Crimea.

"And we are supposed to be offended that we're not going to eat their poisonous food."

Former US president George W. Bush says Russia president Vladimir Putin 'views America as an enemy' [AP/EPA]

It's very good that McDonald's is closing its branches in Crimea. Let them close their branches over here too.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky

Russia's hasty annexation of Crimea, which is not recognised by Ukraine and the West, has worried a number of companies with assets in the Black Sea region.

Geneva-based Universal Postal Deutsche Post recently announced it was no longer accepting letters bound for Crimea as delivery to the region was no longer guaranteed.

The US and European Union have both imposed sanctions on leading Russian officials and businessmen in response to the Crimea crisis, as relations between Russia and the West deteriorated to a level not seen since the Cold War era.

Former US president George W. Bush today gave a glimpse into the mindset of the Kremlin during an interview with NBC's Today show.

Although he didn't comment on Russia's annexation of Crimea, he said he got to know President Putin "very well" during his time in office, revealing "it became more intense as time went on".

He added: "Vladimir is a person who in many ways viewed America as an enemy. I tried, of course, to dispel him of that notion."